Rigorous Academics

Like most Catholic schools, St. Stephen Catholic School produces significantly higher academic achievement than public schools. This is why our graduates do extremely well in high school and college.

From our Early Childhood Education Program in preschool all the way through the 8th grade, we challenge our students to achieve at the highest academic levels. Our success stems from both our small class sizes and a challenging core curriculum. The results, we believe, speak for themselves. Our IA scores (formerly ITBS – Iowa Test of Basic Skill) show achievement that exceeds learning expectations in every grade. In fact, EVERY grade level at St. Stephen’s Catholic School shows more than one year of growth in EVERY subject, EVERY year!

St. Stephen Catholic School is nationally accredited and only hires faculty members who are licensed by the Colorado Department of Education. We teach according to curriculum guidelines developed by the Archdiocese of Denver Office of Catholic Schools and follow the standards of the state of Colorado. Textbooks are chosen by faculty members to support this curriculum and are updated frequently.

At St. Stephen Catholic School our core curriculum focuses on math, language arts, social studies and science. Our rigorous academic program includes the Singapore model for math and a high school-level science lab for our middle school students. All students attend classes in art, music and physical education. Spanish language education is also available from kindergarten through the 8th grade. Public speaking is promoted at every level of education as well.

EDUCATING LEADERS OF TOMORROW

Academic excellence alone is not enough to predict a child’s success. This is why the Catholic educational model aims to serve the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the “whole child.” It’s why we place so much emphasis on character development and encourage our students to serve God and each other. And it’s why our teachers integrate the Church’s moral principles into all aspects of our curriculum.

At St. Stephen Catholic School, we believe in developing leadership skills beginning in preschool. We encourage our students to lead their families and peers into service by doing, as Mother Teresa advised, “small things with great love.” Each school year our middle school is responsible a community service project each quarter and our school as a whole raises money for other charitable organization during Advent and Lent. It’s all part of cultivating our students to become Servant Leaders with a sense of gratitude and a desire to give back.

Another way we teach to the whole child at St. Stephen Catholic School is through our emphasis on inter-generational learning. Whenever possible, we engage members of our parish who have a passion for their faith, an inspirational message to share or an expertise in an area that can help enrich our program and benefit our students.